Portable tents are well known, and can be used for many different purposes. Tents generally comprise one or more walls adapted to be erected in some fashion so as to create an enclosure for the user. Tents adapted for use outdoors generally comprise a floor or bottom portion adapted to maintain cleanliness inside the tent and to protect the user from the dampness of the underlying earth. Such tents are typically anchored to the earth by means of pins or spikes, and are supported by a network of interconnected poles, rods or braces. Once the user has erected such a tent at the intended use site, cots and/or mattresses are thereafter placed inside the tent for use in sleeping. Although waterproofed canvas has been a frequently used material of construction in years past, a variety of synthetic fibers and reinforced polymeric materials have more recently been used for making such tents.
Tents primarily intended for indoor use are also well known. Such tents are especially popular for use as children's toys and may or may not incorporate a floor or bottom portion. Because tents intended for indoor use cannot generally be anchored to the flooring which supports them, such tents typically comprise a network of frame members that define the perimeter of the tent base in addition to the frame members that are employed to maintain the upper portion of the tent in an upright position.
Another class of conventional enclosures that are frequently referred to as "tents" include oxygen tents, mosquito, and the like that are typically draped over a framework that is either suspended above or supported over the intended user.
Although the conventional tents referred to above have many beneficial advantages, there are numerous other deficiencies and disadvantages that have been encountered during their use. For example, tents adapted for indoor use as children's toys require floor space that may be at a premium, especially in relatively small apartments or residences.